PROCLAIMING THE GOOD NEWS!

What is the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ?
We find the answer in one of the most famous verses in the Bible, and a few of the verses that follow: John 3:16-21.
16. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.
We probably all know this verse, and many people limit their understanding of belief to a verse such as this one.
Many of them even proclaim this good news with their mouth, but unfortunately it ends there.
They fail to proclaim this good news with their lives, for they fail to understand the verses that follow John 3:16:
17. "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him.
18. "He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
And even up to this point many may still say, "I believe, therefore I'm not judged."
There is still more to salvation than this, for many of them fail to understand the judgment.
19. "And this is the judgment, that the light is come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their deeds were evil.
20. "For everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
It is here that the Lord separates the true believers from the ones who only profess to believe.
21. "But he who practices the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God."
True believers separate themselves from the evilness of the world around them.
They do not participate in the dominating and cruel practices that destroy our environment and cause emended pain and suffering to humans and animals.
They seek to bring peace, and compassion to the world around them.
They do this because of the love that is in their hearts.
They come into the light and proclaim the salvation of Jesus Christ.
"Jesus Christ has been born in my heart, and I'm no longer the same. I've been set free from the evilness of this world and the death to come."
This is what John was proclaiming in the beginning of his first epistle (1 John 1:1-4).
1. What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we beheld and our hands handled, concerning the Word of Life--
This is the way all our faith should be.
Have we ourselves not heard the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ?
Have you not seen the changes brought about in your own life, and in the lives of other true believers?
Have you beheld the presence of the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ, as if you can reach out your hand and feel His presence?
Have you handled His presence and held it close to your heart?
This is what should happen when we are born again.
This is what should happen when Jesus Christ, the Word of Life, enters our life.
2. and the life was manifested, and we have seen and bear witness and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us--
3. what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, that you also may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.
4. And these things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.
Perhaps here, in these verses, is the answer to why so many Christians don't seem to have this complete joy.
Sure, there is joy when we know we have been saved, but our salvation comes only once, and thus our joy seems to fade with time.
But if we proclaim this good news to others, then, as John exclaims, then our joy may be made complete.
For when we proclaim what Jesus has done in our own life, we renew and enhance our original joy.
And the more we do this, the greater our joy.
Remember also, that this proclamation is not just with words, but also with deeds.
Our entire life, no matter where we are, must be a continual proclamation of Christ in us.
Sometimes people fake their belief, but their actions speak louder than their words.
In the beginning, they may even fake their actions, but all will come to light and be made known, as we are told in Luke 12:3.
3."Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.
There can be no joy in this.
This same kind of hypocrisy was seen in the lives of many in Jerusalem in the days of Jeremiah (34:12-17).
12. Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying,
13. "Thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘I made a covenant with your forefathers in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, saying,
14. "At the end of seven years each of you shall set free his Hebrew brother, who has been sold to you and has served you six years, you shall send him out free from you; but your forefathers did not obey Me, or incline their ear to Me.
15. "Although recently you had turned and done what is right in My sight, each man proclaiming release to his neighbor, and you had made a covenant before Me in the house which is called by My name.
16. "Yet you turned and profaned My name, and each man took back his male servant and each man his female servant, whom you had set free according to their desire, and you brought them into subjection to be your male servants and female servants.” ’
17. "Therefore thus says the Lord, 'You have not obeyed Me in proclaiming release each man to his brother, and each man to his neighbor. Behold, I am proclaiming a release to you,' declares the Lord, 'to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine; and I will make you a terror to all the kingdoms of the earth.
People act this way because they don't live in a state of love.
And without love, we can proclaim anything, and then feel free to change our minds whenever we like, because we don't really mean what we say.
But in love, we could never say or do anything that would take advantage of anyone (whether human or animal), or hurt them, or hurt God.
For it is in this, and only this state of Godly love, that we can truly proclaim the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord, and have it be believable.
Just as the evilness of the Israelites proclaimed their own destruction, because of their lack of love, I am more and more beginning to believe that God is allowing the peoples of the world to destroy themselves today through their ethnic fighting, and the way we brutalize animals.
True Christians, wake up!
Shout for joy!
For the God of all glory has set us free to love unconditionally.
We have the ability to rise above all the fear and hatred in the world, and be filled with joy.
Proclaim the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ.
Proclaim it from the highest mountain and from the lowest valley.
Proclaim it from your rooftops.
But even more importantly, proclaim it through your life.
Let others see and hear the change and love that is now in your life.
Jesus Christ has come!
He will come again!
Believe it!
Proclaim it!
Let others know!
It's true!
Amen.

THOU, O LORD, ARE A SHIELD FOR US!

"But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head" Psalm 3:3

Proverbs 30:5 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.As Christians, we are in a spiritual battle with an enemy known as the devil! Ephesians, chapter 8, speaks of the armor that is given to the Believer. In this article, we are going to examine how the Lord is our Shield and how our faith in Him is our shield.Eph 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.The Christian life is not a walk through the daisies. Just as soldiers must walk through territories where the enemy is hiding, so must the Christian walk. Our enemy, the devil, lies in wait for us. He is hiding behind every side, throwing fiery arrows at us. We are given a spiritual armor in which to fight this battle. We are to stand in our spiritual armor, which is Christ Jesus. THE LORD is our shield. The Lord is our Deliverer. The Lord is our protection for we have put our trust in Him. The Bible tells us to take up the shield of faith. Faith in the Lord is what we need in this battle-- Not faith in a pastor, not faith in your local church but faith in Jesus. Your pastor might let you down, your church may let you down, but Jesus will never let you down.Jesus said in Matthew 28:20, "...lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen."Who is Jesus to you? Faith in the Lord will get us through the troubles of this life. Faith in the Lord is what we need for He will protect us from ALL the fiery darts of the devil. We must not put our confidence in man, for man will make mistakes. But our faith must be in the Lord, who will shield us from the enemy and will deliver us from the enemy. "Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen."WHEN TROUBLES COME OUR WAYMany times, Christians tend to go to everyone but the Lord when troubles come. Psalm 28:7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.Our faith must be in Christ Jesus. He is our Intercessor and Mediator between God and man. 1Tim 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;Eph 2:18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.Through Jesus, we have access to the Heavenly Father. Jesus is our High Priest and Hebrews 4:16 tells us, "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need."Romans 5:1-2 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.Psalm 115:9 O Israel, trust thou in the LORD: he is their help and their shield.The Lord truly is our shield and He shelters us in the dangers of this life. It doesn't mean that we shall not have danger but He protects us from the enemy's snare in the midst of the battles of our life. Jesus never promised us a life without trouble. He said in John 16:33, "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD. The Lord works all things out for our good, and if we believe this, we will not get discouraged when troubles come our way, for our faith is planted firmly in Him. Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.Jesus will never leave us nor forsake us, and if we would only trust in Him-- put our faith in Him in all matters, we would see that He has our best interests at heart.Gal 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.Sometimes, we do not know what is best for us, but God knows and when we pray for the Heavenly Father's will in our lives, we see that His will is best for us in the long run. He alone knows the future and He will see us through whatever hard times come our way. 1John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:Col 3:17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.As Christians, we have seen the Lord's hand in our own lives so many times. When we pray for the Father's will, He hears us. "Thy will be done..."John 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.Luke 12:27-28 [Jesus said] Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?Deut 31:6 Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.Psalm 115:11 Ye that fear the LORD, trust in the LORD: he is their help and their shield.When we pray according to the Father's will, he hears us. The Lord will help us through every battle that we face. Remember we have the shield of faith for protection because WE ARE IN A BATTLE. As long as our faith is in the Lord, we will walk in victory. It's when we start leaning upon our own rationalization and our own way of thinking that gets us in trouble. BE SOBER, BE VIGILANT1Peter 5:8-9 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.A soldier who lets his shield down in the midst of the battle was a soldier unprotected from enemy arrows and unprotected from the enemy's sword. A soldier without a shield was a vulnerable soldier. And so is the Christian who has lost hope and lost faith in their God. Remember that whatever rough battle you are going through at the moment, God is your shield. Put your faith in Him to see you through and do not lose heart. Mark 11:22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.Ephesians 5:19-20 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;God uses circumstances in our lives to bring us closer to Him and to a better place spiritually. He also uses situations that can bring us earthly blessings too. When you pray, believe God. Put your hope in Him.The late Pastor John R. Rice wrote:"Having faith about a particular matter means confidence that there is a God and believes that He hears and answers prayer...One cannot know God except as he comes to know this blessed attribute of His -- He is a God who hears prayers."WE SHOULD NEVER DOUBT THE LORDDeut 31:8 And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.One may lose his current job and question, "Why Lord?" but what this Christian does not know is that his particular place of employment will be closing shop next year. By him losing his job, God is able to provide him with a more secure place of employment where there is job security. So what may look hopeless in the beginning turns out to be a blessing in the end, but the devil would have you to think that God has abandoned you. The devil is always trying to discourage the Christian by causing doubt. 2 Cor 2:11 Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.We should never doubt the Lord. Where He leads us, we will follow for we have put our trust in Him. We read God's Word and by reading His Word, we have faith in Him. Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.Rom 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." The road we travel, as Christians, always leads us to a better place. When we put our faith in the Lord and trust in Him for everything, we find that in His timing, all things work together for our good. 1Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.Psalm 5:12 For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.Sometimes, we get in our comfort zone and do not want to venture out into the path that the Lord wants to lead us on. We settle down in a routine or a job and think, "This is the life." But God has even a better plan. If only we would follow His leading and be in tune with what He wants for us. The Lord knows what is best for His children and we, as His children, need to trust Him more. He knows what is best. He has a plan and no matter what comes our way, Jesus is our loving Good Shepherd who leads us and guides us. Our faith must be in Him. He is our shield in times of trouble and confusion.STRENGTH IN NUMBERSJude 1:20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.We are all traveling this cobblestone road of life together and God is going before us each and every step of the way. The most wonderful thing about fellowship and prayer with other Christian Believers is that all can put their shields of faith together, creating a wall and a roof of protection during the devil's attack. Eph 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.Gal 6:2 Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.As with any army, there is strength in numbers but the army is only as good as the weapons they possess. The Christian must have the shield of faith-- faith in Christ.Psalm 9:10 And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.KEEPING OUR EYES UPON JESUSThe LORD truly is our shield and our faith in Him is also our shield in times of trouble. Keeping our eyes on Jesus will help us to see more clearly the path before us-- for He alone lights our path. Jesus is the Light of the world. Our faith in Him shields us from the enemy's snare. Don't let doubt creep into your life-- trust in the Lord -- for only He can do the impossible!Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.Psalm 84:11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.

THE RAPTURE IS REAL! ARE YOU READY?

Twenty-first century America is preoccupied with the search for racial and sexual equality, cure for cancer and other diseases, the dilemma of legalized abortion, the struggle for recognition of homosexuality as an alternate lifestyle, and attempts to find substitutes for worn-out body organs.
America is also preoccupied with searching for new energy sources, preserving an inhabitable environment, dealing with the problems of the nation of Israel and displaced Palestinians, assigning blame for the problems in the East and Middle East, deciding what to do about rogue countries with big weapons, and struggling to safeguard against terrorist threats while attempting to eliminate terrorism.
Some problems seem near solution, but others only intensify. Church-goers seriously question the rationality of denominationalism. Many new congregations result from splits and dissension in the struggle over change. Each generation seeks its own means of expressing frustration, coping with boredom, and retaining its youth bored with unchanged worship services. Meanwhile, atheists build their own churches and claim tax exemption.
The percentage of two-parent American families is declining as the liberal media promotes every form of sexual indulgence and promiscuity. Liberal courts offer instant divorces. Influential groups confuse many politicians about whether there is a difference between the sexes, except in take-home pay. Many problems that are supposed to be getting better instead are getting worse!

Bad to Worse
America entered the 21st century still not understanding why immigrants from other countries wish to come here and shape America into a system like the one they fled. But we try to accommodate and tolerate most any custom they wish to import, even if it’s destructive to the very attractiveness that brings them here.
The persecuted still want to come, though we rank high in divorce rates, teenage pregnancy, drug abuse, murder, crime, AIDS, and law suits.
This unrest in society was predicted almost 2,000 years ago as a prelude to the end of the world. The Bible talks about a time when people will be “lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” (2 Timothy 3:1-4).
This moral tailspin has one hope of resolution: the second coming of Jesus Christ.

Return and Resurrection
When He lived on this earth, Jesus promised to return:
I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also (John 14:2, 3, NASB).
Jesus also promised a resurrection of the dead at the time of His return:
Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment (John 5:28, 29, NASB).
Apostle Peter wrote:
As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful search and inquiry, seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven — things into which the angels long to look (1 Peter 1:10-12).
Peter explained that the prophets’ predictions of the Messiah’s suffering, death, and resurrection were not to be fulfilled in the time of the prophets, but that a significant part of those prophecies came to pass during his generation.
The Messiah’s return — the final revelation of Jesus Christ — is yet to be fulfilled.
Through faith [we] are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith — of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire — may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed (1 Peter 1:5-7).

Ready and Waiting
How can we be ready for the Second Coming if we don’t know when it will happen? By watching signs to know when to prepare? No, for that implies waiting to prepare until the last minute. We are to maintain constant readiness for His coming by faith in Christ, obedience to His teachings, and godly living.
Jesus compared our readiness for His return to a wise and faithful servant whose master put him in charge of the other servants “to give them their food at the proper time” (Matthew 24:45). Jesus said, “It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions” (v. 47).
Jesus also told a story of ten virgins who expected to attend a wedding feast. They did not know when it was to begin, so when the bridegroom arrived, five of them were welcomed to the feast because they were ready to meet the bridegroom. But five were turned away because they were not ready.
The point Jesus made was “Keep watching, because you do not know the day or the hour of His return” (see Matthew 25:1-13).
Admission to the kingdom, which Jesus compared to a wedding banquet, depends on being prepared. In the story, preparation was having not just a lamp but a lamp with oil, trimmed and already burning at the time the bridegroom came. Notice those who were not ready had lamps. They were trimmed and even burning but were going out! Those virgins were not allowed to enter even after they purchased oil (vv. 8, 10, 11).
The five rejected virgins were negligent; they had been prepared but did not stay prepared. As Jesus said in Matthew 24:13, “The one who endures to the end, he shall be saved.” This is the reason Apostle Paul appeals to us, “We urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. . . . I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:1, 2). In other words, we must not delay in accepting the grace of God, which leads to eternal life; and we must not accept it in vain. As warned in Hebrews 2:3, “How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?”
In today’s culture, admission to fine restaurants and private clubs requires ties and jackets for men and dresses for ladies. Likewise, the wedding banquet in the coming kingdom requires certain dress: “ ‘Fine linen, bright and clean. . . .’ (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints)” (Revelation 19:8). Godly character forms the attire worn by those who enter Jesus’ kingdom.
Jesus tells the predicament of those who don’t “dress” properly for the wedding banquet: “When the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man who was not wearing wedding clothes. ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ The man was speechless” (Matthew 22:11, 12).
As a result, the man was cast out of the wedding banquet (v. 13) and was not given additional time to prepare himself after the banquet began.

What’s in It for You?
How will being prepared for the Second Coming affect you personally?
The Bible states that the “dead in Christ” (Christians asleep in their graves) will rise from the dead at Jesus’ return, and those “alive and in Christ” also will be changed at His coming.
This change will rob death of its sting:
The mortal (people subject to death) will become immortal.
The perishable (bodies subject to decay) will become imperishable. This is the way death will be “swallowed up in victory” (see 1 Corinthians 15:51-58).

Tent Dwellers
Paul wrote of the hard knocks he had experienced. He said he had
“. . . worked much harder, been in prisons more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea; I have been constantly on the move, I have been in dangers from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles, in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea, and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked (2 Corinthians 11:23b-27).
Paul portrayed the difference between our present life and eternal life. He said our present bodies are like tents — a contrast to the “many mansions” Jesus said await the children of God (John 14:2, 3, KJV). As long as we live in these “tents,” we will long to live in our heavenly dwelling (in Paul’s analogy, our temporary bodies contrasted with our immortal bodies, see 2 Corinthians 5:1-6).
When Jesus returns, this temporary life will be replaced by eternal life. Tents are temporary dwellings; the place Jesus goes away to prepare for us is eternal. Paul wrote:
For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come (2 Corinthians 5:4, 5).
Life pulls at you. Life may wear you down. As if hearing our frustration, Paul wrote in Romans 8:18, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worthy comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”
All your lumps, bumps, and blemishes, all your imperfections will be replaced with eternal perfection. The best is yet to be revealed! What’s in it for you? Colossians 3:4 summarizes it: “When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.”

A Sure Thing: Jesus Is Coming!
Who will enter the New Jerusalem one day? Those “who . . . have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Revelation 7:14). Simply put, they had heard the gospel of salvation, believed Jesus died for their sins, accepted Him as Lord, and been baptized. Their filthy, rag-like, sinful lives had been replaced with clean clothes (the righteousness of Christ and obedience to God). They had been fitted with garments suitable for the presence of Christ our King:
“The wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) (Revelation 19:7b, 8).
The result of being dressed and ready for Jesus’ return will be resurrection with the righteous and a joyful welcome into the kingdom of God. Don’t doubt; believe it and live!
Are you weary of society’s problems or have you grown used to them? Do struggles with various situations keep you unprepared to meet Jesus? If so, the return of Christ will catch you off guard. He is the bridegroom in the story who found some not ready. They expected Him to come, but not then. Jesus promised to return. He is coming. Get ready!
If you want to become ready, we invite you to sincerely pray the following:
“Lord Jesus, I need You. I know that I am a sinner in need of Your forgiveness. I ask You to forgive me of my sins. I ask You to come into my life right now and cleanse me. I trust You as my Lord and Savior. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

THE BATTLE BELONGS TO THE LORD

Knowing how to obtain victory in battle is of great importance to every Christian. There is no gainsaying the fact that we are constantly engaged in warfare.The good news is that every child of God has access to a warrior who has never lost before. The bible states that Jehovah is a man of war.Equally, the bible informs that the Lord will fight our battles for us. Exodus 14 states:Exodus 14: 14The lord shall fight for you and you shall hold your peaceThe problem however, is that many of us are not patient enough to allow the Lord to fight on our behalf. We feel the Lord is too slow in reacting and would rather fight ourselves. The bible states in the book of Isaiah:(Isaiah 63:4)For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come.While further in Romans we read:(Romans 12:19)Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.From the preceding verses not only do we learn that revenge is of the Lord, it is made clear that he has appointed a day to execute such judgment on our behalf.Below are eight ways the Lord fights for His children. The list indeed is not exhaustive.Before we proceed, please let us take these prayer points:Oh Lord arise, and fight my battle for me in the name of Jesus.The Lord will fight my battle and I will hold my peace.1) The Lord will trouble your enemy.A classical example is seen in the book of Exodus. The children of Israel, having left Egypt, walked through the Red Sea on dry land. The Egyptians, failing to pause and consider what was responsible for this feat, took it for granted. They chose to follow in hot pursuit. The latter had horses and chariots and would have caught up with the Israelites. But at this point the Lord pulled out his joker:Exodus 14:24-26(24) And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the LORD looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians.(25) And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the LORD fighteth for them against the Egyptians.(26) And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.When the Lord noticed that the Egyptians were catching up with His children He troubled them. He took off their chariot wheels and made them drive heavily. Even the Egyptians recognised that there was something wrong. But it was too late! They could not move forward or backwards. The Lord overthrew them in the Red sea:Exodus 14:27-28(27) And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.(28) And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them.If the Israelites had faced the enemy themselves is there any way the victory would have been more effective?If I were you I would take the next prayer point:Oh Lord, overthrow my stubborn pursuer in the name of Jesus.2) The Lord will send His Angel ahead to fight your enemyThere are cases where the Lord sends his angel ahead of you to do the actual fighting. We read of such in the book of 2 Samuel. David was planning to go out against the Philistines. Already they had engaged in an initial battle. David enquired of the Lord and was told to fight the enemy. The Israelites won but the enemy refused to give up. However, the Lord changed tactics. When David enquired the second time the Lord said he should not go. He was told to fetch a compass behind them and come over the mulberry tree:2 Samuel 5:23-25(23) And when David enquired of the LORD, he said, Thou shalt not go up; but fetch a compass behind them, and come upon them over against the mulberry trees.(24) And let it be, when thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself: for then shall the LORD go out before thee, to smite the host of the Philistines.(25) And David did so, as the LORD had commanded him; and smote the Philistines from Geba until thou come to Gazer.In this case it was the angels that did the fighting. David and his men just finished off and claimed the victory!Please take this prayer point:Oh Lord, send your angel ahead of me to fight my battle in the name of JesusThis reminds one of the story of a brother who attended a deliverance programme in one of our branches in Nigeria. He was a contractor, but most of the companies that employed his services, for no apparent reason, disengaged him.The above prayer point was one of those mentioned during the programme.The brother and his wife prayed very well.There was particular company where this brother was formerly the main contractor. While the deliverance programme took place the company held a board meeting. The Managing Director wanted to know why the electrical equipment in the company broke down so often. He noted that when the former contractor (the brother) was handling their maintenance they did not have such problems. The Maintenance Manager (M.M) in-charge of the contracts lied that the brother just stopped coming. (The truth was that he terminated the brother’s contract and employed the services of a relative.) The M.D, however insisted that the brother should be sought for. He gave the M.M an ultimatum to produce the brother before the next Board Meeting or face being sacked.The M.M went to look for the brother at his former residence but was told he had packed out. At the brother’s new abode he did not meet him since he was still at the deliverance ground. The M.M started to panic as the ultimatum was fast approaching yet he could not locate this brother. Eventually our Christian brother got the message that he was needed at the company. He arrived there just a few minutes before the next board meeting commenced. When the Maintenance Manager (M.M) spotted the brother he almost jumped through the window to meet him. Just then the M.D drove in and asked the brother where he had been. As the brother tried to explain the M.M hurriedly told the M.D that it had been sorted out. He quickly took our brother to his office and promised to let him handle projects ten times more than he was given initially. He however pleaded that the latter would not tell anyone that he had terminated the contract in the first place.What happened? While our brother was praying the Lord sent an angel to fight on his behalf. It was the angel that made the Managing Director remember the good deeds of this Christian during the board meeting.Please take this prayer point:Oh Lord, Send your angel ahead to fight my battle for me.3) The Lord will make your enemy to hear a terrifying noiseYet another way the Lord fights our battle is to cause our enemy to hear a terrifying noise. In 2 Kings this was the strategy the Lord employed to provide abundance in the land of Israel during the time of famine:2 Kings 7:5-7(5) And they rose up in the twilight, to go unto the camp of the Syrians: and when they were come to the uttermost part of the camp of Syria, behold, there was no man there.(6) For the Lord had made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, even the noise of a great host: and they said one to another, Lo, the king of Israel hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us.(7) Wherefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents, and their horses, and their asses, even the camp as it was, and fled for their life.The noise of chariots scared the Syrians and made them abandon their property. Power changed hands in favour of the Israelites.There was this sister who had rented an apartment in Lagos, Nigeria. On her first day in the apartment she conducted a vigil expressing thanks to God. However, the landlord showed up at her door the following morning. He wanted to know what was responsible for the noise emanating from her flat in the night. When our sister explained that she was only praying the landlord got angry. He promptly told her not to conduct such prayer sessions in his house again.Not perturbed, the following day the sister invited a few members of her church for a vigil in her home. As expected her landlord showed up the following morning threatening to throw her out of the house. Not wanting to give up the following night the sister invited as many members from her church that her apartment could take. The vigil was conducted successfully but a strange occurrence took place the following morning.Before the sister woke up the landlord had packed out of his own house! Brethren, till this moment the sister is the only person in the house. Not even a relative of the landlord has shown up to claim the property. The sister is presently the landlady. The Lord caused the landlord, to hear terrifying noises and leave his own house!Please take these prayer points:Oh Lord cause the enemy of my progress to hear a terrifying noise and leave me alone in the name of Jesus.4) The Lord will send an Angel to slay your enemyA fourth way the Lord could fight your battle for you is to send an angel to slay your enemy. In the book of Chronicles the bible records something similar happening. The King of Assyria sent a threatening letter to Hezekiah, King of Israel. But the Lord assured Hezekiah that he would fight the battle for him. Indeed when the enemy camped against Israel the angel of the Lord went out to slay the opponents of the children. By the morning all of the strongmen in the enemy’s camp were dead:2 Chronicles 32:21(21) And the LORD sent an angel, which cut off all the mighty men of valour, and the leaders and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he was come into the house of his god, they that came forth of his own bowels slew him there with the sword.The Lord also caused the king of Assyria’s own son to kill him. What a mighty God we serve?5) The Lord will cause your enemies to have a terrifying dreamHere we come to the story of Gideon. Gideon was chosen by God to deliver the Israelites from the hand of the Midianites. The young man did not see himself fit for this assignment. When he selected an army of thirty- two thousand soldiers, the Lord reduced this to just 300 men. The Lord had yet a different strategy through which he planned to deliver the children of Israel, one he was yet to disclose.Food for thought: When it seems that everything is working in the enemies, favour do not worry, the Lord is up to something!Judges 7:9-10(9) And it came to pass the same night that the LORD said unto him, Arise, get thee down unto the host; for I have delivered it into thine hand.(10) But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Phurah thy servant down to the host:It was at this moment the Lord moved. Going further we read:Judges 7:13-14(13) And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man that told a dream unto his fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along.(14) And his fellow answered and said, This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: for into his hand hath God delivered Midian, and all the host.This dream alone put the fear of Gideon and the Israelites into the hearts of their opponents. Though they were few they were able to overcome the Midianites, who on hearing the sound of the trumpet of the Israelites ran, cried and fled!Take the following prayer point:Oh Lord, cause my enemy to hear a terrifying noise and to run, cry and flee from me in the name of Jesus. 6) He will stone the enemy with stones from heavenThere have been cases where the lord has stoned the enemy with hailstones or thunder. The following example in Joshua shows how far the Lord can go to obtain victory for His children:Joshua 10:10-11(10) And the LORD discomfited them before Israel, and slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them along the way that goeth up to Bethhoron, and smote them to Azekah, and unto Makkedah.(11) And it came to pass, as they fled from before Israel, and were in the going down to Bethhoron, that the LORD cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died: they were more which died with hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword.7) He will cause natural causes to destroy the enemyAs we have seen in the forgoing, victory obtained during battles the Lord fights for us are the most effective. In the following passage the Lord gave victory to the Israelites while Ahab was king. Though a good number were slain by the Israelites army, many of the opponents fled to safety. The Lord was not done yet as He caused a wall to fall upon the head of those who fled, killing 27,000 of them at a go. It is indeed a dangerous thing to tamper with the children of God.1 Kings 20:29-30(29) And they pitched one over against the other seven days. And so it was that in the seventh day the battle was joined: and the children of Israel slew of the Syrians a hundred thousand footmen in one day.(30) But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city; and there a wall fell upon twenty and seven thousand of the men that were left. And Ben-hadad fled, and came into the city, into an inner chamber.8) The Lord will cause your enemies to destroy each otherYet once again there are cases where we need not to fight and the Lord will not use his angels. This is because the enemy will turn upon and fight each other. Though there are many examples in the bible, one that readily comes to mind is that recorded in 2 Chronicles:2 Chronicles 20:17(17) Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you.Here, God assures the Israelites that they would not need to fight this battle.2 Chronicles 20:22-25(22) And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.(23) For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another.(24) And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped.(25) And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in gathering of the spoil, it was so much.Not only did God cause the enemy to fight each other He made them go to war with all of their jewelry so that at the end of the day the Israelites went home rich!The Lord caused the wealth of the enemies of His children, to be converted to the latter.Wealth- and once again power- changed hands!In conclusion, why should we ask God to fight our battles for us?Why Ask God to fight your battleThere are some battles we cannot fight ourselves.Most spiritual battles can only be won through divine intervention.It is through such that God’s name is glorified.When the Lord fights your battle Satan will learn not to joke with you.So, how do we ensure we win every battle? By asking the Lord to fight on our behalf. Please take the following concluding praying points:• In my present battle I will hold my peace and God will fight for me.• You enemies of my peace repent or eliminate each other. • My enemies make mistakes that will lead to my victory in the name of Jesus.• Those in the camp of my enemy shall run cry and flee.Postscript: Repent and believe, remember hell is real, heaven is real. No matter how long we spend here on earth it cannot be compared to the time we shall spend in eternity. Hebrews 12:14 states: Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.Oh, my brethren and sisters in Christ, it is not your business to fight your own battles, not even in defense of your own character. If you be maligned and slandered, let the slanderer alone. His malignity will but be increased by any attempt that you shall make to defend yourself. As a soldier of Christ you are to fight for your Master, not for yourself. You are not to carry on a private warfare for your own honor, but all your time and all your power is to be given to his defense and his war. You are not to have a word to speak for yourselves.Full often, when we get into little tempers, and our blood is roused, we are apt to think that we are fighting the cause of truth, when we are really maintaining our own pride. We imagine that we are defending our Master, but we are defending our own little selves. Too often the anger rises against an adversary not because his words reflect dishonor upon the glorious Christ, but because they dishonor us. Oh! let us not be so little as to fight our own battles! Depend upon it, the noblest means of conquest for a Christian in the matter of calumny and falsehood, is to stand still and see the salvation of God. Sheathe thine own sword, put away all thine own weapons, when thou comest to fight thine own battle, and let God fight for thee, and thou shalt be more than conqueror.

THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM

To dream ... the impossible dream ...To fight ... the unbeatable foe ...To bear ... with unbearable sorrow ...To run ... where the brave dare not go ...To right ... the unrightable wrong ...To love ... pure and chaste from afar ...To try ... when your arms are too weary ...To reach ... the unreachable star ... This is my quest, to follow that star ... No matter how hopeless, no matter how far ... To fight for the right, without question or pause ... To be willing to march into Hell, for a Heavenly cause ... And I know if I'll only be true, to this glorious quest, That my heart will lie will lie peaceful and calm, when I'm laid to my rest ... And the world will be better for this: That one man, scorned and covered with scars, Still strove, with his last ounce of courage, To reach ... the unreachable star ...

OUR RELIABLE STRENGTH IS GOD'S JOY!

"The Joy of the Lord Is Your Strength"
Nehemiah 8-9

To appreciate this message we must understand where the Israelites are standing when they are told "the joy of the Lord is your strength." In Nehemiah 8 the walls of Jerusalem have just been completed. But there is something lacking. Life is more than brick and mortar. They have finished rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, but their lives are in shambles. They have spent seventy years in Babylonian captivity and they have finished the walls but their distress continues. Their condition is revealed in the words of Nehemiah 9:36, "But see, we are slaves today, slaves in the land you [God] gave our forefathers so they could eat its fruit and the other good things it produces. Because of our sins, its abundant harvest goes to the kings you have placed over us. They rule over our bodies and our cattle as they please. We are in great distress."
They had forgotten their spiritual heritage as they were held captive in a foreign land. They had forgotten their native language, but most of all they had forgotten God. As a result their lives were in great distress. These people see the connection between the sins of their own hearts and their distressful situation. They see their slavery as a result of their own sin. They see the relevancy of sin to their own lives. They have experienced its destruction. As they lay there on rock bottom flat on their backs looking up, they began to realize that God has a wonderful message of salvation. It is in his joy that they can find strength to put their lives back together.
Now they are going to see the relevancy of the Word of God to their lives and experience the joyful strength of the Lord as their salvation.
The Joy of Returning to the Word of God
Someone suggested the way we will bring America back to God is to write your congressman, vote and seek to change legislation. But a revival begins with the Word of God not with politics. It also begins with personal lives rather than the body of Christ of large.
The people from the captivity have assembled as one person in the square before the Water Gate. It is here that they ask Ezra to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses and read it to them.
Nehemiah 7:73b-8:3 When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns, all the people assembled as one man in the square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra the scribe to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded for Israel. So on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand. He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.
As Ezra stood on a high wooden platform built for the occasion, everyone's attention is focused on him. He opens the Book of the Law of Moses and all the people stood up. Ezra blessed the Lord the Great God and all the people answered Amen, Amen. Then they bowed down, worshipping the Lord with their faces to the ground.
Nehemiah 9:5 -6 reveals the mindset of the people on this solemn occasion. "Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you."
During the French Revolution many leaders were determined to do away with Christianity forever. One lovely, clear night an atheist boastfully proclaimed his satanic doctrine to a poor countryman. "Everything," he ranted, "will be abolished--churches, Bibles, clergymen. Yes, even the word 'God' itself! We shall remove everything that speaks of religion." The listener gave a quiet chuckle. "Why do you laugh?" demanded the other. The peasant pointed to the stars and replied, "I was just wondering how you and your crew would manage to get them down!"
Nothing prepares us to read the Word of God better than an appreciation of his sovereignty. As they looked at the heavens they realized God's sovereignty. It demanded a great respect for the Word of God that is about to be read. There is such a profound respect for God and his Word here. It is through this profound respect that the people begin to realize the personal presence of God.
Nehemiah 8:8 says, "They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was being read." They spoke the message of God in a language they could understand. The people had grown up in captivity in a foreign country. They had adapted by learning the language of the land of their captivity. They didn't understand the Hebrew language in which the Law of Moses was written. They needed interpreters to make the message distinctive, understandable and relevant.
Ezra read from the book of the law of God distinctly. The priest went through the crowds giving the sense of the message. The Bible has meaning, and it has a distinct message for our lives. There is absolutely no doubt that they saw the relevancy of the message to their lives because they are presently experiencing the fulfillment of God's promises to them. God's word begins to make sense to them, for they see themselves in it.
As we study the Bible we can see God's concern and care for his people. Jeremiah had prophesied the very destruction that the Israelites were now suffering as we read the book of Nehemiah. Yet, in the same breath Jeremiah gives them a promise that their mourning will turn to a morning of joy. He promises to bring them from the land of captivity and he describes how they will return. "Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the coasts of the earth, and with them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her that travaileth with child together: a great company shall return thither. They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn . . . Thus saith the LORD; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the LORD; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy. (Jeremiah 31:8-9, 16)
What a relevant message of care and hope God's word reveals. The book of Nehemiah reveals the fulfillment of Jeremiah's prophesy. God is leading them with supplications . . . that means he is caring for them. He is causing them to walk by rivers of water in a straight way and they are not stumbling . . . that means that God is sustaining them . . . for He is their Father. The Israelites are experiencing the joyous realities of the fulfillment of Jeremiah's prophecy. They are experiencing the relevancy of the message.
The Joy of the Lord is Your Strength
The joy of the Lord becomes our strength as we realize that we can only come to God from where we are. As they stand there with their lives in shambles they are mourning over their sins. They were not told "I told you so" or "you should have known better" or "look what a mess your life is in" or "the next time you had better do better." But they are told "Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks . . . This day is sacred to the Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength . . . The priests calmed the people and said, " . . . this is a sacred day, Do not grieve . . . then the people went away to eat and drink . . . and to celebrate because they now understood the words that had been made known to them.
When they understood the message of salvation, Nehemiah says, "Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them. (8:9-12)
This day is sacred to the Lord. It was the joy of the Lord that made this such a sacred day. God had deliberately led them to this moment in time. It wasn't a day of good fortune or good luck. It was the day of the Lord! The Israelites were returning to God on this special day. The Jews were not the only ones celebrating. There was a celebration in heaven, as the angels in heaven are gathered around rejoicing over all these sinners coming home.
Luke 15:1-7 Now the tax collectors and "sinners" were all gathering around to hear him. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them." Then Jesus told them this parable: "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
The people were told "do not grieve." The most sacred day in a person's life is when he/she weeps as the relevancy of the Word of God is being made known to them. This was also a sacred day for the Lord. Weeping was only for a moment. The Psalmist writes, "Sing to the LORD, you saints of his; praise his holy name. For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning." (Psalms 30:4-5)
The mourning of joy comes when we realize that we have put our lives together wrong and begin to discover God's instructions on how to take our lives apart and rebuild them. When the Word of God is opened up and understood, people begin to understand themselves. It is through knowing God that you begin to come to know yourself. After all you are made in God's image. It is here that you can discover the joy of the Lord as your strength to recover your losses.
They now understood the words that had been made known to them. The people heard the message explained in their own language. It was a simple message and it was a relevant message. The message revealed that the joy of the Lord is their strength. Joy comes when we discover, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
It is difficult to build upon what is right until you confirm what is wrong. It is the wrong that keeps us on rock bottom. As we come to the Bible seeking God's instruction he rebukes the wrong in our lives and teaches us the correct way to live. We don't like to be rebuked, it usually brings mourning, but God must teach us his ways in order that our lives can be put back on the proper course. The design of God's Word is to train and equip us in what is right, so that we might work at building a good life.
God's Word is designed to change our minds about the way we are living. If we listen it will bring us to a mourning of joy. Verse 12 of chapter 8 says, "Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them."
Restored to The Joy of Their Salvation
The resounding message of repentance runs through out the Bible.We don't like negative messages and initially repentance comes across as a negative message, but it is the only thing that can lead us to a very positive step forward. When we take that step into God's will, we discover that our strength is the joy of the Lord.
Jesus says, "Except you repent . . . you will perish." Until we approach God with an attitude of repentance, the Bible's message for us will remain forever foreign. There is a dire need for the world to change the direction it is headed. A change of direction only comes through changing our minds about where we are headed. It requires knowing and acknowledging what is wrong with our lives.
Turning to God in repentance always creates a joyous hunger for more. It is in turning to God that we realize our emptiness. There was a void in Israel's life that mere brick and mortar could not fill. They had experienced the famine that Amos had prophesied to Israel before the Babylonian captivity, "The days are coming," declares the Sovereign LORD, 'when I will send a famine through the land-- not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD. Men will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the LORD, but they will not find it'. In that day 'the lovely young women and strong young men will faint because of thirst.'" (Amos 8:11-13) As a result of this experience they are hungry and they begin to feast upon God's Word.
When we understand the relevancy of God's word and the joy it is seeking to bring to our lives, we began to hunger and thirst for more. The joy of their salvation was so great that they wanted to hear more. After hearing the word of God proclaimed they are sent away by Ezra to celebrate this sacred occasion. But "On the second day of the month, the heads of all the families, along with the priests and the Levites, gathered around Ezra the scribe to give attention to the words of the Law." (8:13)
Nehemiah 8:14-18 They found written in the Law, which the LORD had commanded through Moses, that the Israelites were to live in booths during the feast of the seventh month and that they should proclaim this word and spread it throughout their towns and in Jerusalem: "Go out into the hill country and bring back branches from olive and wild olive trees, and from myrtles, palms and shade trees, to make booths"-- as it is written. So the people went out and brought back branches and built themselves booths on their own roofs, in their courtyards, in the courts of the house of God and in the square by the Water Gate and the one by the Gate of Ephraim. The whole company that had returned from exile built booths and lived in them. From the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day, the Israelites had not celebrated it like this. And their joy was very great. Day after day, from the first day to the last, Ezra read from the Book of the Law of God. They celebrated the feast for seven days, and on the eighth day, in accordance with the regulation, there was an assembly.
As they were returning their lives to the Word of God they found even more reason to rejoice in their salvation. As they began their journey through the Word of God, they began rediscovering how God had led their fathers out of Egypt into the wilderness. There he sustained them as they lived in makeshift booths for forty years. It was there that the Feast of Tabernacles came into being. Their fathers, in accordance with the Law of Moses, had set aside a week each year when all the Israelites would dwell in booths as a memorial to God's sustenance in the wilderness. As they were reading the Law, they realized that the Feast of Tabernacles was celebrated at this very time of the year. So they began, right then and there, restoring the worship of God through a celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles. They celebrated for seven days and on the eighth day according to the Law there was an assembly of all the people.
As they read the Word of God, their understanding and appreciation for God increase. You can't celebrate what God has done for you without appreciating what he has done for you. You can't appreciate what God has done for you without celebrating. The deeper the appreciation, the greater the joy. They celebrated what God had done for them through their forefathers as he brought them to the Land of Promise. The beauty of this scene is that they rediscover God.
What would happen if we could just put aside all our misinformation about God and his Word? Think about what happened to the Israelites as they return to God through the teaching of his Word. The same could happen for us as we endeavor to build out lives on the Word of God.
True Praise Results when Our Mourning Turns to Joy (9:1-37)
Nehemiah 9:1-3 On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and having dust on their heads. Those of Israelite descent had separated themselves from all foreigners. They stood in their places and confessed their sins and the wickedness of their fathers. They stood where they were and read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for a quarter of the day, and spent another quarter in confession and in worshiping the LORD their God.
They stood where they were and read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for a quarter of the day. Worship always begins as we approach God through his Word.
"They stood in their places and confessed their sins and the wickedness of their fathers." They spent a quarter of the day just studying the word of God. They spent another quarter of a day confessing their sins. In Nehemiah 9:37 it says, "Because of our sins . . . .We are in great distress." Their confession is unbelievable and their remorse is even more unbelievable. As they stand there praying and confessing they are dressed in sackcloth and have dust sprinkled on their heads . . . these were signs of great remorse, but they were also signs of great distress. They are brought face to face with their God! God has been revealed. Their lives are turned around and they are led into the presence of God praising his name. That is the purpose of Scripture.
They understand their terrible condition as they journey back to God. They see their sin and shame, but more importantly, they understand God's joyous message of salvation. At this they burst out in praise. You really can't understand and know how to worship and praise God until you realize the distress your sins has cause you and those in your world.
Conclusion:
"The joy of the Lord is your strength." This phrase is pregnant with meaning. It cuts like a two edged sword. It is the Lord's joy that is our strength. It is his rejoicing that gives reason to rejoice. It is his joy that fills us with hope. It is his joyous wish to save me just as I am, in spite of all my sins. It is God's joy to stand me back upon my feet and strengthen my feeble legs and wobbly knees so that I might discover his joy as my strength. It is truly a sacred day in heaven when a sinner discovers that "the joy of the Lord is his strength."
"The joy of the Lord" remains our strength today. His faithfulness continues throughout all generations. For his kingdom extends from generation to generation. Today we see God from a much different vantagepoint. But he is still the same faithful God. As we look back to Abraham from the cross, we see God's continued faithfulness to the promise he made to Abraham. Today that same God seeks to bless all men through Jesus Christ the seed of promise to Abraham. He seeks to fulfill the promise he made to Abraham that all the families of the earth would be blessed through his seed. But we must commit our lives to him.
It is great to realize that no matter how bad things get, the joy of the Lord will forever be our hope and strength to return to the Lord.

TEN STEPS TO AVOID BACKSLIDING

10 Steps to Avoid Backsliding

The Christian life is not always an easy road. Sometimes we get off track. The Bible says to encourage your brothers and sisters in Christ daily so that no one turns away from the living God. If you have found yourself backsliding, or drifting away from the Lord, these practical steps will help get you back on course today.
Time Required: A Lifetime
Here's How:
Examine your faith-life regularly.
Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test? 2 Corinthians 13:5 (NIV)
If you find yourself drifting away, turn back immediately.
See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. Hebrews 3:12-13 (NIV)
Come to God daily for forgiveness and cleansing.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 (NIV)
Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Revelation 22:14 (NIV)
Continue daily seeking the Lord with your whole heart.
And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. I Chronicles 28:9 (NIV)
Stay in the Word of God; keep studying and learning daily.
Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life. Proverbs 4:13 (NIV)
Stay in fellowship often with other believers. You can’t make it alone as a Christian. We need the strength and prayers of other believers.
And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near. Hebrews 10:25 (NLT)
Stand firm in your faith. Expect difficult times in your Christian life.
All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. Matthew 10:22 (NIV)
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.Galatians 5:1 (NIV)
Persevere.
Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.1 Timothy 4:15-17 (NIV)
Run the race to win.
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training ... we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 1 Corinthians 9: 24-25 (NIV)
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness... 2 Timothy 4:7-8 (NIV)
Remind yourself of what God has done for you in the past.
Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised … we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved. Hebrews 10: 32, 35-39 (NIV)
Tips:
Develop a daily habit of spending time with God. Habits are hard to break.
Memorize favorite Bible verses to recall in difficult times.
Listen to Christian music to keep your mind and heart in tune with God.
Develop a Christian friendship so that you'll have someone to call when you feel weak.
Get involved in a meaningful project with other Christians.
What You Need:
A Bible
A Daily Relationship With God
A Christian Friend
A Bible Teaching Church